Indiana Soccer Blanks Penn State 1-0 in Big Ten Tournament Final, Secures Conference Double

Todd Yeagley has attributed Indiana's late-season run to the team's 2-1 road victory at Penn State in October. On Sunday afternoon, the Hoosiers downed Penn State, fellow Big Ten regular-season co-champions, again for their fourth Big Ten double in six seasons.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Hoosiers are back on top.

Top-seeded Indiana men’s soccer blanked No. 2 seed Penn State 1-0 Sunday to win the Big Ten Tournament championship. Bill Armstrong Stadium’s 4,000 fans – the best attendance this season – witnessed the Big Ten regular season co-champions vie for the Conference Double.

These programs have history in the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana previously won the Double in three consecutive seasons — most recently in spring 2021 — by beating Penn State goalkeeper Kris Shakes and the Nittany Lions at home in penalty kicks. Penn State ended the Hoosiers' streak in the 2021 fall season, when the Nittany Lions shutout Indiana in Happy Halley to secure their first-ever Double.

Last season, Indiana and Penn State didn’t win either. The Hoosiers have reached seven consecutive Big Ten Tournament championships, but for juniors like Samuel Sarver, some hadn’t hoisted the hardware until Sunday afternoon. Sarver curled in the only score of the contest in the 38th minute, cutting inside the edge of the box and benefiting from a deflection.

“You kind of get kicked in the teeth a couple of times,” Sarver said post-match about the last two finals. “You want to be the guy that does the kicking. I actually had flashbacks to Ryan Wittenbrink. That's the goal he would always score. He was so good at that, getting his prep touch, another touch and hitting it in bottom corner, so that was more of Ryan's type of shot.”

Sarver is Indiana’s “Ryan Wittenbrink” this season. Wittenbrink, who was drafted into the MLS in the offseason, led the Hoosiers with 10 goals and nine assists in their march to the national championship in 2022. This season, Sarver leads the team with eight goals and six assists. He scored two goals at No. 25 Penn State in October, a game that ignited Indiana’s late-season run.

The Hoosiers have made great strides in October in each of the last three seasons. It didn’t culminate in regular season or tournament titles in the previous two, but Indiana reached the Round of 16 and the College Cup, still respectable conclusions for any program in the nation. This season, head coach Todd Yeagley and his players were rewarded in their turnaround.

“To play in of seven of these straight is amazing for this group and the program,” Yeagley said. You don't want to get there and obviously not not find the trophy as much, but I do feel when you say they deserved [it], I think they've done a lot of things really well. They've been rewarded with some trophies. For the young players to like, see what this is all about.”

Freshman forward Collins Oduro is one of those younger players, and he's scored three goals this season. The rookie landed at No. 13 on Top Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Freshman Top-100 list, and has started in every match this season. Within the first 10 minutes of Sunday’s contest, Oduro traced back out of nowhere and prevented Penn State’s two-on-one chance from likely scoring.

“His defensive recovery as a freshman is way ahead of his game,” Yeagley said. I haven't seen many freshmen one, clicked in like that and two, make that extra recovery run as a high-end attacker would necessarily be in their arsenal. He made a huge play in the first half.”

FINAL: Indiana 1, Penn State 0

Hoosiers lock up the Big Ten Double in the packed Bill Armstrong Stadium. #iums pic.twitter.com/heHfLhXpPJ

— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) November 12, 2023

Fans counted down the final seconds, then rushed the field and swarmed the players. When the team took photos with the title placed in front of the goal, wearing both of their championship hats and shirts, they didn’t know whether to put up one or two fingers, having just won the Big Ten Double.

“Triple-crown!” goalkeeper JT Harms exclaimed, hinting at Indiana's remaining aspirations. With the 1-0 shutout victory to get the double, Indiana’s RPI inches close to a top-16 national seed, which would mean a bye in the NCAA Tournament. The selection ceremony will be streamed on the NCAA’s website Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

“It feels good," Maouloune Goumballe said. "But I want that third trophy,” 

Related stories on Indiana Soccer: 

• GOUMBALLE TWO-GOAL NIGHT PUSHES INDIANA TO FINAL: During Indiana soccer's four-game win streak, forwards Maouloune Goumballe and Tommy Mihalic have tallied six of the team's 12 goals. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BEATS WISCONSIN 2-1 IN QUARTERFINAL: By the time the Hoosiers went up 2-0 in the 55th minute, it seemed like they would cruise to victory. Wisconsin got one back and had solid chances, but Indiana survived. CLICK HERE
• SEVEN HOOSIERS EARN BIG TEN ACCOLADES: Indiana has produced a league-record 119 Big Ten first-team selections all-time. The Hoosiers had three Friday afternoon CLICK HERE
• INDIANA WINS SHARE OF BIG TEN TITLE: The Hoosiers got the help they needed Sunday. Northwestern lost to Michigan, Penn State tied with Wisconsin, and Indiana beat Rutgers 4-1 at home. CLICK HERE
• ANDREW GOLDSWORTHY MAKES FIRST CAREER START: In Goldsworthy's five-year college career, he has played in only 11 matches and never started. But the veteran from Bloomington got the call on Senior Night Friday in Indiana soccer's 2-0 shutout of Trine, with his family in attendance. CLICK HERE